What is Recreation Therapy?

Recreation therapists plan and direct leisure activities for
individuals with disabilities or illness.
These leisure activities can be a myriad of things, including arts,
music, sports, movement, dance, games, wellness, and exercise.

While it might seem like these activities are ones someone
could do for themselves, oftentimes people either don’t make time for leisure,
engage in unhealthy leisure (such as drug use), or need some education about
leisure and how to implement it in their daily lives.

Recreation therapy, also called therapeutic recreation, addresses
the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional needs of an individual. It is very similar to other therapies,
such as physical or occupational therapy, because it has those same goals. Through activity and coaching sessions,
recreation therapists can help guide a client through leisure activities that
they can apply to real-life situations to achieve an overall healthy, balanced
life.

The need for leisure for parents and children with special
needs is great. They need the
respite and skills as they age. As
children with special needs grow into adulthood, they need to have good leisure
skills in place to prevent boredom or depression when their school services run
out. Recreation therapy skills are
essential for independent living. Research
suggests the people who live active lives are happier and healthier. Recreation therapy improves quality of
life and productivity for individuals with special needs.

So what is recreation therapy like? As with other therapies, recreation
therapy might involve a weekly or multiple times a week sessions. A recreation therapist will do an
initial evaluation to see what a person’s interests are and develop a plan
based on those areas. The
recreation therapist will then engage the client in those activities throughout
the week. For example, someone who
loves the water might enjoy a swim lesson or a kayak trip. These sessions are likely followed up
with a period to discuss the activity and how it might benefit the client on a
daily basis. Recreation therapy
also includes coaching sessions, in which the therapist and client might fill
out worksheets or talk about their leisure activities, what worked or didn’t
work, and how a person can change those leisure activities for something that
is healthier.

Goals in the physical realm might include improving overall
physical strength (a recreation therapist might use personal training or
specialized exercises to achieve this goal) or to improve fine and gross motor
skills. For children working on
fine and gross motor skills, recreation therapy is more motivating and fun
oftentimes than other therapies.
Group activities enhance social skills, and the overall wellness a
client feels from the recreation therapy sessions often improves mood and
balances emotions. The cognitive
approach helps clients apply leisure skills to their daily lives and really
examine the activity and determine if it is healthy or if there is a better
option.